Mary Ruth Morgan and Susan Morgan hold a poster asking for laws against assault weapons during a remembrance ceremony for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Photo by Eric Devlin/Journal Register News Service.

UPPER DUBLIN — Three months after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., local residents are taking a stand against gun violence in this country.

The Ambler Area Community Committee for Gun Safety held a remembrance service for the victims of Sandy Hook and a call to action to end gun violence at Mondauk Common Park March 14.

In attendance for the event were state Reps. Mary Jo Daley, D- 148, and Madeleine Dean, D-153, who each spoke in favor of legislation to help prevent further acts of mass shootings.

The event was organized by Ambler resident Susan Span, who said she was looking for a way to honor the victims and come to terms with the tremendous loss she was feeling.

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“After Sandy Hook I was devastated. I was crying,” Span said. “I turned to my husband, Craig, and said we have to do something.”

A small crowd gathered at the pavilion at Mondauk, some holding posters against the sale of assault weapons. The crowd listened to various speeches from community leaders like Rabbi David Gerber of Congregation Beth Or and Shira Goodman of Cease Fire PA and a rendition of Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up” performed by singer Adam Weitz.

She turned to Facebook and reached out to anyone who was willing and interested in talk about the events and how to react. She scheduled a meeting at her house a week after Sandy Hook and the roots of the AACCGS were planted.

Soon, she said, she was contacted by representatives from the website Moveon.org, who were interested in helping organize further meetings on a larger scale. The meeting at Mondauk was the result of a desire to commemorate three months after the tragedy in Newtown.

In his speech, Gerber focused on ways people can get involved to try to prevent this disaster from ever happening again.

“The most tragic problem is silence,” said Gerber. “The only wrong action is inaction.”

Daley began by saying the tragedy in Newtown affected her because it reminded her of her own grandson.

“These are days that we need to remember,” she said.

She then focused on how residents can best help fix the problem from a legislative perspective.

“We need the support to say the people we represent support this,” she said, urging everyone to call or write to their particular representative.

Dean said a number of state representatives were involved in putting together a gun buy back program organized by the Upper Dublin Police Department and would be sponsoring a bill regarding universal background checks, including lost and stolen gun legislation that will try “to reduce the straw purchasers from getting guns who should not have guns.”

“Like all of you I was so touched and so saddened,” Dean said “It just stopped you in your tracks when you heard this news.”

After the ceremony, Jodi Hallen, of Maple Glen, and Jon Waxman, of Blue Bell, said they both felt encouraged by what was said.

“I liked the support of the representatives,” Hallen said. “They gave us good tools on how to take action.”